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Eoin Kennelly's avatar

Hi Heather fine letter as ever. On history and rhyme, being from Ireland we like the eloquence (and optimism) of Heaney

History says, Don’t hope

On this side of the grave.

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up,

And hope and history rhyme.

- Seamus Heaney

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B Carpenter - Thinking Deeply's avatar

My family has celebrated the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples' Day ever since my daughter, now 51 years old, was in second grade in 1976. On what was then known as Columbus Day (South Dakota was the first state to recognize Indigenous People’s’ Day when it changed the holiday’s name in 1990), I received a call at work from the vice-principal of her elementary school. It seems my 7-year-old daughter had been sent to his office on a disciplinary matter by her second-grade teacher. I was quite surprised as my daughter had never had any disciplinary issues at school, quite the contrary. I told the vice-principal I would be at the school shortly to meet and discuss whatever the issue had been.

On arriving at his office I and my daughter, met with the vice-principal and my daughter's teacher to discuss whatever the problem was. I was told my daughter had disrupted the teacher while she was instructing the class on the significance of Columbus Day. It seems the teacher had been explaining how Columbus was the "discoverer" of the Americas and she had been showing artists pictures of him landing and being greeted on the beach where he landed by a group of "Indians." My daughter, it seems, asked the teacher politely, "If Columbus discovered America, who were all those people meeting him when he landed." As you might imagine this resulted in much laughter from the other students embarrassing the teacher and resulting in my daughter being sent to the vice-principal.

On hearing the story, I turned to the teacher who had sent her to the vice-principal and asked what she had responded in answer to my daughter's question? It seems her only response had been to send her for disciplinary action to the vice-principal. I told the teacher that "I felt she had asked a very good question and that it deserved an answer. I told her I felt she should answer it now."

The teacher responded, "She could certainly understand where my daughter had gotten her 'smart mouth' from and she and I should have more respect for teachers."

I thanked her for the compliment, and responded that I requested "My daughter be moved to a different second-grade class with a teacher more equipped to educate her students as this one was clearly not suited to do so."

My daughter was moved to a different second-grade class the following day and since then, for my family, the second Monday in October has always been known as Indigenous Peoples' Day. We also sometimes call it the "Are you as smart as a second grader day."

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